The Glossy Podcast

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week.This week, the discussion turns to the Met Gala and all the looks on dsplay that were both on-theme and off; Revolve's earnings, specifically how the company is handling its inventory load; and the future of Off-White after New Guards Group named Ibrahim Kamara as its new art and image director.

As CEO and designer of her nearly 20-year-old namesake fashion label, Nili Lotan has found success in the luxury fashion industry by going against the grain of fashion industry norms. The brand is reportedly on pace to bring in $100 million in revenue this year.“The motto of my business is that I make everything in the U.S. — that, in itself, means that luxury is built into the seams,” Lotan said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “I’ve been growing the business, and as my business has evolved, I’ve [gone from exclusively focusing on] timeless luxury essentials to being a full lifestyle and multi-category [brand].” The brand launched handbags in 2020. Next, it will roll out menswear, this summer, and additional accessories, in September.Lotan targets “an ageless woman,” calling her brand’s clothing an expression of a nonchalant attitude, which she believes is hard to find in a luxury fashion brand. “But the majority [of my customers] are 40- to 45-years old. And those are all working women who run a busy life the way I do. … I try to give her everything that she needs, and I try to give myself everything I need.”

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff break down some of the biggest news stories of the week.On this week's episode, Thom Browne's spring show at the Javits Center is representative of brands going outside the traditional fashion calendar, formats and venues; Simon Property Group reportedly makes a bid to buy Kohl's two years after it bought its rival JCPenney; and Victoria Beckham is launching a shapewear line at a time when the category is hot, but without the overtly body-positive messaging of other shapewear lines.

Batsheva Hay has found success in the fashion industry by simply making what she likes. In 2016, she launched the dress brand Batsheva, which has seen accelerated growth since the start of the pandemic.“I didn't set out to get into fashion at all,” Hay said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “I was actually a lawyer … and quit my job. And then I got excited to get dressed again in the way that I wanted, which included wearing lots of vintage clothing. I kept on going back to this thrifted Laura Ashley dress that I was just wearing to shreds… I found a pattern maker to remake it, but by that point, I’d changed [the concept] so much that it became a whole other Frankenstein creation. And that was the start, in my head, of wanting to make more.” And thus, Batsheva was born.Luckily for Hay, her original concept proved to be popular during the pandemic. “At first, [everyone] was all about wearing sweatpants, sweatpants, sweatpants,” she said. “But then I started this idea of the house dress, or a printed dress that’s really cozy for home. And that's become a huge chunk of my business.”Batsheva hit a lot of radars when Ella Emhoff, Kamala Harris's stepdaughter, wore the brand to the 2021 inauguration. According to Hay, the resulting brand awareness worked wonders to drive sales: “I didn't know that it would be so huge. I got a big sales boost from it that I was not really prepared for.”Since, Batsheva has collaborated with brands including Anna Sui and expanded to new categories including furniture. Next, though she’s never taken in outside investment, Hay is considering fundraising as she works toward becoming this generation’s Laura Ashley. “That's what I’m hoping for,” she said of the goal. “That’s on my vision board.”

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, hosts senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and editor-in-chief Jill Manoff discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week.On this week's episode, the hosts discuss Victoria's Secret's latest inclusivity plays of hiring its first male model and launching a gender-free tween brand. They also weigh in on the implications of Instagram opening up its product tagging capabilities, and they break down Lululemon's plan to double its annual sales to $12.5 billion by 2025.

Last month, Paris-based Vestiaire Collective acquired American competitor Tradesy, greatly expanding its shopper base in the states and putting it head-to-head with The RealReal.Now, the U.S. is Vestiaire Collective’s largest market. Even prior to the deal, its U.S. gross merchandise volume (GMV) was on the rise: It increased 75% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2022, according to Fanny Moizant, co-founder and president of Vestiaire Collective.“Our ambition is to build the leading global resale marketplace,” Moizant said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. “[We want] to transform the fashion industry and the way people consume fashion. That's what motivates us and makes us wake up happy every morning.”The company is well on its way. With Tradesy, Vestiaire Collective now offers 5 million products by 3,000 brands, and it’s set to sell $1 billion in GMV on an annual basis. “We are this massive platform, where everybody – at their own budget, taste and style – can find something really appealing,” Moizant said. There are five types of shoppers who frequent the retailer, she said. And puppets in the company’s latest campaign are meant to depict each of them: “There’s Miss Classic, who's the very chic lady who thrives on buying luxury and really wants the trust component. We also have Hunter, who's the bargain hunter; she's after the good deals. We have Rich, who's the seller. He knows that, on Vestiaire, he'll find the right community who appreciates fashion and will understand the value of his products. We also have Lady Green, who's our fashion activist. And we have Drops, who's the edgy girl who’s after the sold-out products or the very rare-to-find items.”The company, which became a certified B Corp in September, also has specific goals around sustainability. For example, it wants to be carbon positive by 2025. 

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, editor-in-chief Jill Manoff and fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week.On this week's episode, the hosts discuss LVMH's first-quarter 2022 earnings, showing a revenue increase of 29% year-over-year, as well as Lululemon's new resale program, offering more accessible leggings. They also recap the top takeaways from NFT Day and the biggest challenges in the beauty space, as reported by executives at Glossy's Beauty Leaders Dinner on Tuesday.

Ring Concierge’s success since the start of the pandemic can, in part, be attributed to luck. “[Going into the pandemic] we were already digitally native, and we already had an incredible e-commerce site,” said Nicole Wegman, founder and CEO of Ring Concierge, on the latest Glossy Podcast. “And more so than before the pandemic, people are comfortable shopping online for fine jewelry, because they had no choice over the past two years.” And fine jewelry is selling: “We saw a big uptick during the peak of the pandemic for engagement rings, because couples were stuck at home together having those conversations,” Wegman said. “And now, it's the year of the wedding, so we’re seeing a ton of wedding band sales.She added, “We’ve been in a pretty good place to weather the storm.”Of course, it helped that 9-year-old Ring Concierge had a firm foundation heading into the pandemic. Wegman has self-funded the company, and it’s been profitable since year one.“We are very fiscally conservative, and we are very thoughtful in how we invest in areas we expand in, to make sure we can remain self-funded,” she said. “It's important to me to have that autonomy and to be able to make decisions that are best for the business and, most importantly, best for our customers and followers.”

On the Glossy Week in Review podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and fashion reporter Zofia Zwieglinska discuss some of the biggest fashion news stories of the week.On this week's episode, the hosts discuss Farfetch's big partnership with Neiman Marcus, reports that Shein is now a $100 billion company, and both Gucci and Valentino appointing new executives to lead their businesses in China.Also up for discussion: how new blockchain-based metaverses recycle ideas from the world of video games, often in poorer form than they'd been executed decades before.

Since Reformation launched in 2009, it’s become well-known for its sustainability focus and wedding-perfect dresses. But, according to CEO Hali Borenstein, the company’s currently in growth mode and rapidly expanding its focus.“The business has been doing well and evolving quickly,” Borenstein said on the latest Glossy Podcast. “We’ve accelerated growth, and we’re hiring like crazy. We need to make sure we have the right resources and great team members [in place] to support all of that growth.”Reformation’s growth plan includes building upon its 25-store fleet. (“Retail has been a huge driver of our growth,” Borenstein said.) It’s also targeting new international markets. It recently established a team in the U.K., plus it has a team member in Canada. Europe is a key focus.In addition, the company has been busy expanding to new categories. It launched activewear in March 2021 and shoes in May 2021.“We are projecting very robust growth [for 2022], definitely far above 2019 levels,” she said. “We've been very focused on good, sustainable growth, while also maintaining profitability and a healthy business, so that we can invest in ourselves and propel our own growth.”